Monthly Archives: September 2013

We are back on the Chesapeake after sixteen beautiful days at Lake George. Silver Bay is our hailing port but Big Smile will never see the thirty-two miles of clean, fresh Lake George water. Someday we might get it as close as Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain but even that would be problematic due to the height restrictions on the canal system linking the Hudson River to Champlain. Something to ponder.

I have been coming to Lake George for 56 years and know very well the vagaries of the Adirondack weather. This is especially so in the fall. However this year we lucked out and for most of our 16 days we had sunshine and no rain. On top of this we had the pleasure of having our new Vermont friends over for a weekend. And they brought their sailboat which not coincidently is moored on our bay. John and Marion took us out on their Capri 22 for a perfect sail. We had not sailed anything other than a sunfish in quite a while so it was a treat.

Marion

John flying the kite

A great sail

Although John and Marion had to leave after the weekend they graciously left their boat behind for Cath and I to enjoy. Thanks to both of you.

The Adirondacks are known for their “high” peaks and although we are not experienced hikers we did climb Black Mountain on a perfect, clear day. It is a three-hour hike up but once at the top the views of the lake are magnificent. There is an old fire tower at the top but it was shut down in the mid 70’s and can no longer be climbed.

Top of Black Mountain

View to the North

The following weekend my cousin Nance and husband Rob joined us. John also drove over from Vermont and the five of us got in another good sail.

It was a good night

John’s at the helm

Our lake trip ended with the ritual of boat hauling and storage. I elected to tow the jet skis to the launch area on a 40 degree morning. But that’s the Adirondacks.

Left the Capital Yacht Club early to make the long day trip to Breton Bay. Pulling into this anchorage I discovered a major discrepancy between two of my navigation programs. The photo below shows the tide and current for Breton Bay on August 20th. However the info is completely contradictory. This is something I had seen before and need to contact the offending software company in the near future.

Breton Bay tide and current. Huh?

One night at this now familiar anchorage and than a 20 mile run to Smith Creek. This would be our last stop on the Potomac before heading north to Solomons, MD. Smith Creek is a quiet and beautiful anchorage with easy kayaking and beautiful sunsets. I had read that every morning a long time resident on an adjoining creek plays the Star Spangled Banner over loudspeakers. Well sure enough at 8AM we could clearly hear the broadcast from the next creek.

Sunset on Smith creek

From Smith Creek it was on to Solomons, MD. This town, located off the lower Patuxent River, is a boaters paradise. Marinas abound and so do plenty of anchorages. We elected to stay several days at Solomons Harbor Marina, part of a Holiday Inn. This fall we are scheduling some maintenance work at Washburn’s Boatyard in Solomons but an immediate need arose and we contacted Eric, the owner of Washburn’s. He was kind enough to make a house call to review the battery situation on our genset. Problem was that the 18 month old AGM’s were dead and I had to jump off the main engine each time I wanted to start the genset. Eric confirmed the dead batteries so we rented a car and headed for Annapolis and the large “discount” battery store. They are big and heavy but of all the batteries on board these are the easiest to access. Why they died a premature death is something Washburn will need to figure out in October.

Solomons, MD

Across the Patuxent from Solomons is Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Situated on over 14,000 acres it is home to NAVAIR: “Naval Air Systems Command”. Navy flights and training are endless and the variety of aircraft overhead is impressive.

F/A 18 and V-22 Osprey cross paths

We crossed the Chesapeake and headed up the Eastern shore looking for a Creek we anchored on nearly thirty years ago. We found it off the Choptank River. La Trappe Creek and its smaller ancillary creeks has had some large homes built along its edges but the beauty and stillness remains. So do the crabs and we finally had some success.

Caught and cooked

And eaten

Not far from La Trappe Creek and just up the Tred Avon River lies the historic town of Oxford, MD. Our plans were loose and we ended up staying five days anchored in Goldsborough Creek, two miles east of town. It was Labor Day weekend but for most of the time we had the creek to ourselves.

Like La Trappe Creek we had not been to Oxford in nearly 30 years. Located right on the edge of town is the Robert Morris Inn. Built in about 1710 the Inn was once the home of Robert Morris, the father of the financier of the American Revolution. It is currently an Inn and restaurant and we picked a perfect Friday evening to eat outdoors. Being Friday night it was also race night at the Oxford Yacht Club. We were able to dinghy right up to the start of the race and then watch the finish from our table. Not bad.

Starting line

Robert Morris Inn

Andrew and Nicole had asked if they could join us for a night and so they drove down from DC Saturday and we picked them up at the Oxford dinghy dock. Another perfect weather day.

Touring the Tred Avon

Goldsborough Creek

We learned awhile back that Nicole likes to eat. Here she brought a sandwich for Cath.

Our type of deli

Big Smile is now docked at Herrington Harbor South on the western shore of Maryland. Andrew picked us up early and dropped us at Reagan National. From there it was on to Boston and Boston to Rutland via our now favorite airline, Cape Air. I am sitting in the lobby of the Silver Bay Inn on Lake George. I’ll post some LG photos in a few days.